The Greatest Act of Love and Our Response (Part 5 of "Real Chrismas Meaning: God became human")

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2011

Written by David Charlton

Scripture

Luke 2:1-21

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. ² This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ⁸ And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; ¹¹ for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" ¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." ¹⁶ And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ²¹ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Matthew 2:1-23

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ² "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ⁶ `And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" ⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; ⁸ and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." ⁹ When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; ¹¹ and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. ¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son." ¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸ "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more." ¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ²⁰ "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Core Idea, Challenge & Summary

Core Idea: The greatest act of love in human history occurred when God became a human named Jesus.

Challenge: To help people respond to the greatest act of love by surrendering their total lives to the love and Lordship of Jesus.

Summary: Christmas is about the greatest act of love in human history. God became a human named Jesus. God understands our pain and suffering because Jesus endured the same type of suffering we endure as human beings. We also know God as a good, loving and personal God because of how Jesus lived His life as a human. To know Jesus is to know God.

That, however, is not the whole story. As a human, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross. On the 3^rd day, He rose from the dead, conquering sin, death and evil on our behalf. This enables us to receive God’s forgiveness and experience a restored, loving relationship with God that will last forever. For all these reasons, it is safe to say that the greatest act of love in human history occurred when God became a human named Jesus.

How should we respond to the greatest act of love in human history? The only appropriate way to respond is surrender. We should surrender our total lives to the love and Lordship of Jesus. This includes surrendering our wealth, social status, thoughts, desires, dreams…everything to Jesus. Through this surrender, we’ll fulfill the purpose for which God created us and that will give us the joy and peace that surpasses all understanding.

One of the main themes throughout the Christmas story is surrender. Mary surrendered to God’s will when she said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord: let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Joseph surrendered to God when he followed the angel’s instruction, married Mary and raised Jesus as his own son. The shepherds surrendered to God when they left their sheep to find the new born king. The wise men surrendered to God when they visited Jesus, brought Him gifts and worshipped Him.

How will you respond to the greatest act of love in human history? Will it be surrender? What aspect of your life do you still need to surrender to the love and Lordship of Jesus Christ?

The Sermon

I. Introduction: The greatest act of love in human history

A. Over 2,000 years ago God became a human named Jesus

God understands our pain and suffering because Jesus endured the same type of suffering we endure as humans
We know God to be a good, loving and personal God because of the way Jesus lived His life as a human. To know Jesus is to know God.

B. God became a human named Jesus in order to pay the penalty for our sins

Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross as the only sacrifice that could atone for our sins
On the 3^rd day, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin, death and evil.
We can receive God’s forgiveness and begin a restored, loving relationship with God that will never end because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.

C. For all the above reasons, the greatest act of love in human history occurred

when God became a human named Jesus.

D. How should we respond to the greatest act of love in human history?

II. Our response to the greatest act of love in human history: Surrender

A. The only appropriate response is surrender.

Surrender what? Our total lives. All that we have and all that we are.
Surrender to whom? Jesus Christ. We surrender to His love and Lordship.
Why? We have nothing to offer God except ourselves.

B. Throughout the Christmas story, the main characters respond with surrender.

III. Surrender throughout the Christmas story.

A. The virgin Mary

The angel Gabriel visited Mary and said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33)
After Mary asked how this could happen, since she was a virgin, Gabriel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
Mary replied, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord: Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38)
Mary’s reply was an act of surrender. She basically said, “Lord, whatever you want, I’ll do. I give myself to you.”

B. Joseph

At first, Joseph wanted to call off the engagement quietly. He didn’t believe Mary when she told him she was pregnant by way of the Holy Spirit. (Can you blame him?)
Then the Angel Gabriel visited him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; ²¹ she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
Joseph responded with surrender. He obediently married Mary, named the baby Jesus and raised him as his own. Like Mary, Joseph basically said, “Ok God, whatever you want. My life is yours to do with as you please. May you use me to fulfill your purposes.”

C. The shepherds

Angel appeared to the Shepherds during the night of Jesus’ birth as they tended their sheep. The angels said, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12) Then a multitude of angels filled the skies singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
Shepherds are on the bottom of the social ladder. They were thought of as ‘dirty country folk’. Yet, God announced the Savior’s birth to them and not the religious leaders, rulers or social elites.
How did these common folk respond? With obedience. They immediately left their sheep (something shepherds should never do) to find the Savior and give Him praise.
They surrendered themselves to Jesus.

D. The wise men

Unlike the shepherds, the wise men were rich. Also unlike the shepherds, the wise men were not Jewish. Once again, God chose to reveal the Saviors birth to a bunch of outsiders. It seems Jesus came to save everyone: rich and poor; Jews and Gentiles…everyone
The rich wise men probably came from the Parthian Empire. (This empire was east of the Roman Empire. It was centered in present day Iran and extended into present day Iraq.) They evidently had access to Hebrew Scripture and studied the stars. God somehow revealed to them that one particularly bright star will lead them to the recently born Messiah. How did they respond? With surrender.
They traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles on camels and foot to worship the boy Jesus. (Jesus was around 2 years old by the time the wise men arrived.)
When the wise men approached King Herod, they said, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)
When they arrived at Mary and Joseph’s home, they didn’t just bring gifts but also worshipped Jesus. “…and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)
Worship is surrender. It’s not just singing praises and offering prayers of thanks. Worship is surrendering yourself to God. The rich wise men who were likely from noble background bowed down and worshipped a toddler named Jesus. They surrendered themselves to the love and Lordship of Jesus.

IV. What is your response to the greatest act of love in human history? Is it surrender?

A. Have you made a decision to surrender your life to Jesus?

Have you repented of your sins?
Have you received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus?
Is Jesus Lord of your life?

B. If you already made the decision to surrender your life to Jesus, how well are you

doing it?

Remember, the surrender we are talking about is total surrender. This includes but is not limited to finances, marriages, relationships, careers, hopes, dreams, desires, thought life….have you surrendered it all to Jesus?
Christmas is a wonderful time for each of us to ask: “What aspect of my life do I still need to surrender to Jesus?”

Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch